Just as archeologists use the relics they find in burial grounds to determine the behavior and culture of the people who created them, we can uncover the identity of a tree from the stump it leaves behind.
The first clue is the bark. Thick, furrowed bark suggests a Douglas-fir or ponderosa pine. Papery bark with horizontal bands points toward birch or cherry. Cedar often leaves stringy, fibrous bark that peels off in vertical strips.
The wood itself can provide hints. Freshly cut pine and cedar carry a distinctive scent. Resin-rich conifers may feel sticky. Hardwoods like oak and maple tend to have denser, drier wood.
And color matters, too. Take out your pocketknife and scrape off the outer wood. Redwood shows a deep reddish tone. Aspen stumps are pale and smooth. Black walnut reveals rich chocolate-brown wood.
And a stump’s growth rings are the tree’s diary. Wide rings reflect fast growth in open sunlight; narrow rings indicate slow growth caused by shade. The switch from wide to narrow rings tell us when an open-grown tree became crowded by the trees growing around it.
So, a stump is not just something to sit on. It holds evidence of identity, of weather, of neighbors and of time.
